A DUMBARTON war veteran is able to wear a medal awarded for service more than 50 years ago for the first time.

Moira Murray received the prestigious Pingat Jasa Malaysia (PJM) Medal while serving with the RAF during the Malaysian conflict in the late 1950s.

British recipients were, until recently, unable to officially wear the PJM Medal as it was awarded by a foreign state.

But thanks to the intervention of West Dunbartonshire MP Gemma Doyle, Moira is able to proudly display the medal, presented by the Malaysian Government in recognition of the work undertaken by Commonwealth forces.

When Moira went to her MP last summer about the medal she wasn’t allowed to wear, she didn’t hold out much hope of getting a result.

But after Ms Doyle took the campaign to Parliament, Moira and the fellow veterans with whom she still keeps in touch can now proudly pin the medal on at official occasions.

Moira left for Singapore on June 13, 1958, arriving six days later – twice the estimated length of the journey. In her time in the RAF, she travelled extensively throughout south east Asia and Australia, and she has continued to pursue her interest in travel since leaving the service in 1962.

Ms Doyle led the debate in Parliament last year for veterans to be allowed to wear the medal and, despite the Government voting down the proposal, the honours and decorations committee, which oversees the regulations on medals, decided shortly after the debate that the PJM could be worn.

Ms Doyle said: “I am delighted that Moira and her fellow veterans of the Malaysian conflict can now wear their medal in public with pride.

“She first came to see me about this last summer at one of my coffee mornings. I promised her I would raise it but we didn’t get our hopes up.

“The issue came to the fore during Parliamentary debate on the Armed Forces Bill where a number of Lords and MPs argued that PJM holders should be allowed to wear their medal. By coincidence I was leading on the Armed Forces Bill for the opposition as the shadow minister for veterans and welfare and was delighted to get the chance to argue the case from the despatch box.

“It was lovely to hear all about Moira’s experiences in Malaysia and all the people she has kept in touch with since. I’m just happy to we got a result in this case.”